Transcript
Sponsor/Advertiser (0:00)
I've been on the hunt for a supplement routine that actually sticks, and Vital Vitamin's Age Defying Bundle is at the top of my list. It's three capsules that pack a punch when it comes to looking good, feeling sharp, and aging gracefully. The multi collagen complex plus is a simple beauty from within. Step 5 Types of collagen plus biotin, hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C Supporting skin, hair, nails and even joints. BrainBooster plus is next and it's like a mental reset button. It supports focus, memory and mental clarity without the jitters. And then there's nad. This one's all about cellular energy and healthy aging. The most appealing thing is how easy it is to stay consistent. Six capsules, one habit. No messy powders, no blender, no fuss. It's simple and it can make your routine feel sustainable. Vital Vitamins is offering my listeners 20% off all orders with Code Moth@myvitalvitamins.com that's that's Code Moth@myvitalVitamins.com for 20% off all orders. Before Mint Mobile, my phone bill felt like a mystery. Overages, hidden fees and strange extra charges every month. But switching to Mint Mobile changed all of that. If you're still paying for wireless, it's time to say yes to saying no. At Mint Mobile, their favorite word is no. No contracts, no monthly bills, no overages, no hidden fees, no bs. I made the switch and now enjoy premium wireless for just $15 a month. Mint Mobile plans come with high SPE, unlimited talk and text, all on the nation's largest 5G network. I love getting high quality coverage without paying a fortune. Finally, wireless that actually makes sense. Ready to say yes to saying no? Make the switch@mintmobile.com moth that's mintmobile.com moth Upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month Limited time new customer offer for the first three months only. Spend speeds may slow above 35 GB on unlimited plan taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details.
John Good (2:05)
Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm John Good, your host for this week. Originally coined as Armistice Day by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, the day we now hold as Veterans Day is a day that elevates and celebrates those who stood a post around the world in defense of freedom. Every year on November 11, we remember and honor their commitment, service and sacrifice. Our first story this week comes from Scott Young. Scott told this story at a Grand Slam in London, where the theme of the night was Lost and Found. Here's Scott live At the moth.
Scott Young (2:54)
If I'm complimented at all on my physical appearance, it's usually one of two things. My thick, full beard or my beefy, muscular legs. I get both from my mother. She's only 5 2, but she is built thick and has a hirsuteness many men would envy. I grew up to the acrid smell of the wax she boiled mornings to remove the whiskers from her chin. Yet all I ever heard growing up was, just like your father. Now, I knew that wasn't physical because my dad's 64 and had a baby smooth face and, as my mother liked to say, had to run around in the shower to get wet. He was so skinny. Not the jeans I got. So what was it about me that made me like my father? It's hard being compared to a ghost. See, my father died fighting in the Vietnam War when I was only 2. He was 21, and he had a choice. He could get released from active duty one month early or he could spend a week on leave in Hawaii with my mother and I. He chose to get out of active duty early. He died a war hero, killed by mortar fire rescuing injured soldiers on the week he would have been in Hawaii with us on my mother's birthday. If you wrote it as fiction, your editor would cut it because it's not believable, but it's my life. My father was drafted because he quit his job, left my mother and I, and took off to San Francisco for what he hoped to be the second Summer of Love. I can hardly blame him for that. He came back with a draft notice and said he was against the war and he wanted to ditch the draft and for my mom and I to run away to Canada with him. My mother said no. My mother said, be a man and fight for your country. Her regret is deep. Now, when kids would ask me about my father and I'd say, he died in the war, they'd always say, I'm sorry. And I'd say, don't be. I never knew him. I was super defensive, and I resented their pity. But I was angry and I didn't know why. So I just sort of buried those feelings. I did know that the Vietnam War veterans didn't get any parades. Nobody spoke with pride of serving in the one war America lost. And nobody back then honored my mother and I by calling us a Gold Star family. The Vietnam War was a mistake. It was an embarrassment. And there was no space for me to be proud of my father, this war hero. So I wasn't. I was 24, when I decided to go to Bill Clinton's inauguration, kind of last minute idea. And I was buoyed by his win, hopeful for the future. And I wanted to see this monument that they'd built for the Vietnam War veterans. And I knew my dad's name was on, and I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. So I purposely decided I wouldn't choose which day I would go there. So it was the third day I was there, and I found myself standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking down at the black gash of granite, and decided it was time. Now, when you enter, you can give them the name of a person and they'll print out a piece of paper that shows you the location so you can find it. And I couldn't believe what the paper said. It said, ronald l. Young, born January 19th. It was January 19th. He died when I was two. We never celebrated his birthday. The only birthday I thought of with my dad really was my mother's, the day he died, which was always a miserable experience, but still, I randomly decided to go. That day I found my father's name on the wall. I ran my fingers over the etching facing the high black gloss of the Vietnam War Memorial is like seeing yourself through a mirror darkly. All of the complicated feelings around the Vietnam War are embodied in the monument designed by Maya Lin. It is a splendid visual metaphor. I could see the Washington Monument proud, reflected as though through a bleak haze. And I reflected for the first time in my life on my own loss. Standing there in the sea of flowers, mementos, notes, American flags of all sizes, burning candles everywhere at my feet, I was overwhelmed. I suddenly realized, you know, all those times people said sorry and I said, don't be, I never knew him was exactly why they were sorry and why I was so sorry.